A 90-metre outdoor swimming pool, colourful changing rooms and a sprawling Victorian park represent different sides of Wandsworth. There are also historic buildings, an arts and events venue, and a market with a wide range of food. When choosing a holiday rental in Wandsworth, you can therefore start by considering which of these highlights you would like to shape your stay.
Parks, Landscapes and Paths
Battersea Park is a 200-acre Victorian park on the riverbank. Its features include a promenade along the Thames, a large lake, notable trees, ecological areas and sports facilities. Other attractions include Battersea Park Zoo, Go Ape, bicycle and boat hire, and Putt in the Park. The park thus brings together both landscapes and a range of leisure activities.
Wandsworth Common offers a different picture: woodlands, lakes and heathland define this Common landscape, which has special statutory protection. The Common is freely accessible via entrances on Bolingbroke Road, Bellevue Road, Trinity Road, Burntwood Lane and other surrounding streets. The list of entrances may change; check the latest access information before your visit.
The Wandle Trail also offers a specific starting point for planning: between Earlsfield and Poulter Park, there are traffic-free paths open to people with different abilities. This statement refers to the section mentioned. Route conditions may change, so it is advisable to check the latest information in advance.
Swimming with a Seasonal Focus
Tooting Bec Lido is the largest freshwater outdoor swimming pool in the United Kingdom. The 90-metre pool offers both lane swimming and relaxed open swimming sessions during the summer season. Its seasonal operation and swimming options make the lido a different focus from the area’s architectural history, which is told throughout the year. Access and operating details are subject to current rules; check them before your visit.
The outdoor pool first opened in 1906. Its surviving features include colourful changing rooms and spacious areas around the pool. The lido thus combines its long history with a distinctive layout: an open pool surrounded by striking changing rooms.
Architecture, History and Performances
Battersea Power Station is a Grade II*-listed interwar utility building in the London Borough of Wandsworth. The free exhibition “Power of Place – The Making of Battersea Power Station” covers the building’s journey from closure to reopening. Visitors can also take the Chimney Lift: the ride begins after an exhibition in the Art Deco Turbine Hall A and travels to a height of 109 metres inside one of the chimneys. Exhibition and visitor details may change; check them in advance.
Battersea Arts Centre has operated as an arts centre and performance venue since 1980. It is located in the former Battersea Town Hall, a Grade II*-listed building. The Town Hall is associated with radical politics and the campaign for women’s suffrage. The former town hall comprises around 70 rooms, including a theatre hall. Here, its present-day use as an arts and performance venue sits alongside the history of the building.
Markets and Putney
Tooting Market offers food to eat in or take away, including Korean fusion cuisine, Italian pizzas and panzerotti, Guyanese cuisine, burgers and Caribbean dishes. A microbrewery with a tasting bar also offers local Graveney Gin. Stalls and businesses may change; check the current offerings before your visit.
For walks in Putney, Wandsworth Council provides downloadable audio guides. They offer a distinct way to explore Putney, alongside the park, market and cultural highlights found elsewhere in Wandsworth.
Discover More Destinations
Discover more destinations: Wandsworth, Enfield, Greenwich, Barnet, Redbridge, Lambeth, Westminster, Tower Hamlets.
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